Digital OneWater

Jacobs has been at the forefront of the global water sector’s digital transformation for over a decade. We pioneered the industry’s first digital twin of an entire wastewater treatment plant in Singapore. We harnessed smart sensors and AI to reduce sewer flooding for utilities in the U.S. and U.K. And, most recently, we formed a strategic partnership with Palantir to significantly reduce O&M costs at water and wastewater treatment plants.

Every day we’re using innovative digital technologies to improve how we plan, design, build, maintain and operate water and wastewater infrastructure. From improved flood prediction to reduced energy usage in facilities, we know better than anyone how data solutions are transforming the global water sector – and we’re bringing that deep domain expertise to our clients.

Digital technologies are already disrupting how we manage the world’s water resources, but how do we make the most of these tools?

The answer is an integrated ecosystem of data-enabled solutions, which we call Digital OneWater. Our vision for water’s digital transformation is an extension of our OneWater approach. By taking a holistic view of our clients’ challenges across the entire water cycle, we can deploy integrated data solutions that provide comprehensive benefits. We recognize the importance of a complete system-wide digital approach that moves beyond optimizing assets and networks in isolation.

As water utilities respond to challenges on multiple fronts – climate change, tightening regulations, workforce shortages – adopting a Digital OneWater approach will be key. Here are the benefits:

• Data-driven insights: With tools like Digital Twins and machine learning, we can better understand our clients’ water systems in their current condition – and predict how they’ll perform in future.
• Enhance systems thinking: We’re not only focused on single assets. We can integrate data solutions across networks and catchments to better understand the entire water management system in real-time.
• Reduce risk and improve performance: Complete system-wide, lifecycle insight allows our clients to make better-informed decisions, optimize long-term operations and protect public health. Digital OneWater enables the shift from reactive to proactive planning and operations.
• Support operations staff: Data-enabled solutions help essential O&M staff perform their work more efficiently, from automated scheduling and operations to improved operator training and knowledge transfer.
• Maximize digital benefits: Digital OneWater avoids the silos created by separate products and isolated datasets. We help our clients look for common benefits and outcomes that maximize return on investment, incorporate system-wide cybersecurity practices and fully leverage existing information systems.

We identify Digital OneWater solutions across four key pillars of a utility’s operations:

At Jacobs, we serve as a trusted digital transformation partner for water sector clients. Our deep domain knowledge across the entire water cycle and asset lifecycle — from planning and design through to operations — means that we have a unique view on where digital solutions are best applied. We recognize that every client will adopt digital technologies at their own pace, and we’re there to support them at every step of their journey.

We’ve also placed data solutions at the heart of our business and Boldly Moving Forward strategy. We’ve formed a new business unit, Divergent Solutions, which serves as the core foundation for developing and delivering innovative, next-generation cloud, cyber, data and digital technologies. As a company, we’re already responding to the rapid digitalization of our industry – and we bring that experience to our clients so that they, too, stay ahead of the curve.